


Lonely Garden Blues

by SketchyNonsense



Category: DashBored (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, I guess???, idfk I don't write fanfics ever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-26 21:36:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15009950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SketchyNonsense/pseuds/SketchyNonsense
Summary: Isaac tries to enjoy a party at the hotel after successfully driving those damn frogs back into the sewers, but for some reason, he isn't really having fun. So, to get away from the crowd, he heads to the hotel balcony. Turns out, he wasn't the only one who needed to get some fresh air.





	Lonely Garden Blues

**Author's Note:**

> Forgive me for this is probably gonna suck.  
> but I'm feeling mushy as all hell and nobody else is gonna write this shit,  
> so the responsibility falls to me.  
> I made this literally in the middle of the night and it's currently 6:00am when I'm finishing it so  
> sorry in advance I guess

The hotel bar was packed to the brim with people; robots, humans and afew that seemed inbetween were all drinking and laughing as they congratulated eachother on a job well done. Isaac took a drag on his cigarette, watching the live band nearby for a moment before getting bored and shifting his gaze again. He should be ecstatic. It took them all day to drive those slimy bastards back where they belonged, but in the end the Acerbi family had come out on top again. He'd even gotten to personally teach the ol' Frog King a lesson, beating him within an inch of his life before dropping him down the manhole and locking it behind him. 

And yet, here he was. Tapping his foot on the leg of the barstool and glaring out at everyone else having fun. He sighed, smoke coming out of his mouth as he watched his right hand man, Benny, splash himself in the face with alcohol. Poor, dumb bastard. Keeps forgetting he can't drink. He was one of the more unlucky servbots who didn't have a face on his screen. Didn't stop him from being one of the best in the business though, busting kneecaps as easy as breathing. Benny laughed off his mistake, throwing his arm around another one of his fellow goons as they continued on as if nothing happened. Isaac looked over towards the stairs that led up to the upper floor of the hotel, wondering if taking a step outside would help. Maybe all the sound was messing with his sensors or something. "Am I getting old already?" Isaac thought to himself, half joking. "Can't handle alittle loud music?" 

Isaac put out his cigarette and hopped down from his bar stool. The crowd parted abit for him when they saw him, some out of respect and others out of fear. He was short statured, and would've been an easy target for drunken mockery or roughhousing, but the patrons knew better than to mess with the guy who basically owns the place. He didn't actually own the bar, but being the head of the mafia that has the entire city under his thumb means he's not exactly someone you wanna mess with.

The stairs creaked under his weight, old and worn from abuse. He'd seen plenty of brawls end up with someone being tossed down those stairs, sometimes one of his men, often whoever it was that owed them money. The carpeting on them was newer, and a pretty shade of red. Much easier to have a carpet where the blood stains don't show up than to constantly have to clean it. He got to the top of the stairs and had to pass afew hallways of hotel rooms before getting to the balcony. A couple walked together dangerously close to their assumed hotel room down one hallway, he could hear someone pleading for extra time to pay someone through another door, and he could faintly make out the sound of afew silenced gunshots in a room far towards the back, though he couldn't be certain.

Business as usual on a busy Friday night.

Isaac pushed open the glass door and stepped out onto the balcony, feeling a slight chill from the night air. He still wondered why he'd been given the ability to feel like humans can. It'd mostly been an inconvenience if anything. Maybe his existence was some cruel joke, or he was a prototype. Maybe that's why his theoretical creator had been so cruel as to make him as bloodthirsty as he was at only three and a half feet tall.

It took him a minute to notice there was someone else out on the large balcony with him, leaning over the handrail and looking out over the lit up city. She had a little black dress on with black flats and a long thin cigarette holder in her hand. She sighed, a trail of smoke leaving her lips as she straightened up abit. Her hair was cut short in a bob, hugging along her jaw. Isaac froze. 

He knew he'd seen her around before, though only in passing. He'd practically forgotten. She always seemed to be there when he'd swing by, especially if the bar was already bustling with people. Now he had the chance to actually talk to her. Isaac felt a knot in the pit of his circuitry, and he didn't know why. 

The short robot strolled up to the railing as coolly as he could, realizing only when he approached that the railing came up to the middle of his screen, so leaning on it casually would be impossible. Isaac put his hands in his pockets and looked up at the mysterious woman, who seemed wrapped up in her thoughts.

"You were lookin' for some fresh air too, huh?" Isaac joked, startling her slightly. She blinked, turning to look down at him and tilting her head curiously. He motioned to her cigarette. "y'know, if you were just lookin' fer a place to smoke, there's nothin' stoppin' ya from just havin' one in the bar." 

"...hm" She looked at her cigarette holder, twirling it abit between her fingers. "Was mostly looking for someplace to get away from the crowd...clear my head..." She hummed, putting it to her lips again.

"Ah, that's why I came out here too," Isaac added somewhat awkwardly, trying to keep the conversation going as she seemed to be settling back in to stare off into space again. 

"Is that right?" She continued staring out over the streets of Roke. "So, what's The Don of the Acerbi family doing in a shithole like this?" A small smirk tugged at the edges of her lips as she looked at him from the corner of her eye.

Isaac tried to not react, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't caught off guard. "You kiddin' me?" He scoffed. "It's the only place in this damn town you can get a stiff drink that won't cost ya an arm and a leg. Hell, might be the only place in the whole damn Garden." He frowned. "Stupid Jackass seems to run every other joint around here..." he added quietly.

"Fair enough," She shrugged, turning her gaze back towards the view.

"What about you? You obviously ain't here for the drinks, or the company." Isaac gave her a look, motioning back towards the door. She didn't answer.

Isaac thought for a minute, trying to find a good reason to hang around. He didn't want the conversation to die here, but he didn't want to just keep grilling her for no reason. He could, but that wouldn't exactly be polite.

He reached in his coat pocket, finding his box of cigarettes.

Perfect. An excuse.

"You got a light?" He asked, pulling a cigarette out. "I lost mine." He lied, blatantly.

She gave him a look. "Really?" 

"Yeah. Some pickpocket musta grabbed it while I wasn't lookin'. heh. y'know. 'nother reason I ain't a fan of crowds."

The dark haired girl let out a tiny huff of amusement, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a lighter. She tossed it to him. "Knock yourself out."

He caught it without fumbling, though she didn't seem impressed at all. He quickly lit his cigarette and took a drag before handing her back her lighter.

"So, you got a name?"

"...Dolly. Name's Dolly" She said thoughtfully, looking over her cigarette again.

They stood there in silence for a moment.

"You know, you didn't answer my question."

"Hm?"

"If this place is such a shithole, why do you even come here?" Isaac looked at her. "I mean, if you're just here for a smoke I don't see why you make the trip." 

Now it was her turn to frown. She thought for a minute, looking down at the street.

"I like the view." She said, quickly putting the end of her cigarette holder back into her mouth as an excuse to cut her response short.

Isaac looked at her for a minute, confused, and then out over the city. It was an alright view, but nothing special. That was for sure. 

"Plus, not many people come up here." She added. "So, it's a nice little escape for awhile from how shitty everything is." She forced a small, sad laugh. 

"I see..." Isaac hummed.

Another lull of silence.

"Y'know, I used to live in Coton." Dolly spoke up. Isaac looked at her, surprised she was the one to break the silence this time. Maybe he was getting somewhere with this girl. "It was awful. The mayor couldn't tell a slime from some lip service, and I'm pretty sure just breathing the air there took some years off my life," She took a long drag on her cigarette, probably for the irony of it. Isaac chuckled abit. 

"Yeah, that place is a real piece of work. Was considerin' expandin' out that way n sending some of my boys to set up shop, but some schmucks in red apparently have already got the place on lockdown. Psh. They can keep it." He shook his head. "All the pollen there clogs my ports anyhow. Can't stand it."

"Good choice." Dolly laughed quietly. "Air's cleaner here than in Coton, that's for sure. And the mayor may be a prick, but atleast he knows what he's doing." 

"Kinda funny, we're here talkin' bout air pollution of all things," He held up his cigarette, "while smokin' like it's goin' outta style,"

Dolly snickered.  

"Yeah, I guess that's pretty silly." she shook her head. "Roke's probably one of the better places to stay here in The Garden if I'm honest, even if it's going to hell in a handbasket" 

"You sure bout that? I mean, I hear it's run by the mafia," Isaac joked, getting another small snicker out of Dolly. 

"Well yeah, but atleast it's not as empty as Ovok or polluted to hell and back like Coton."

"What about that uh, that one place, " Isaac snapped his fingers trying to remember, " those houses up by that general store!" 

"Up by M&J's?"

"Yeah, there's probably alright to live,"

"Psh. But there's nothing to do there. You got the bar, and you got the general store. That's it. And both are run by that Jack guy."

"And no matter what time of day it is, or if both are open, He's the one workin' register!"

"I know, right? He's gotta have a twin brother or something helping him." Dolly laughed.

Isaac grinned, looking over at Dolly. "Maybe one of these days we'll split up n go to each 'a the stores. Call eachother when we get there 'n see if we can figure out what's goin' on." 

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, just as a little experiment."

Dolly laughed again. "Alright, I'll take you up on that offer one of these days." 

They kept talking for awhile as it got darker and colder, the only light coming from the hotel windows and their almost done cigarettes. Isaac divulged abit more info on his work than he probably should have, but Dolly seemed overall unfazed by his violent day job. They continued joking and talking for awhile until Isaac realized something.

"You know, I've been mostly talkin' bout myself this whole time. You know more than enough about me, but I still barely know any more bout you," 

"Well, there's not much to say." Dolly tried to wave it off, "I have a normal job, I moonlight at the bar every once in awhile as a singer, but only on slow nights," She said hurriedly. "and I don't really do much interestin," she looked nervous. Isaac was curious, and wasn't content with her dismissive response. He tried to think of something else to ask, some question she couldn't dodge. His thoughts were interrupted when he realized how intently she was staring at his screen.

"what?"

"How do you do that?"

"do what?" he took his cigarette out of his mouth.

"That." she pointed to his cigarette. "You've got a screen for a face, don't you?" She leaned down close to him, and he took a slight step back. "How're you smoking without a proper face?" She tilted her head curiously. She was so close she could feel the static radiating from his TV head. 

"Hey, uh, how about we go back inside? It's probably cleared out some by now," Isaac awkwardly took another step back and gestured to the door nearby, "it's gettin' pretty cold out here, 'n I know you humans can get sick from bein out too long 'n all," 

Dolly chuckled. "You're dodging the question," She teased. "But alright. Let's head back in."

"How 'bout we talk some more over some drinks? On me. "

"I'd like that"

The two returned downstairs to the now much emptier bar, afew people still sitting at the bar chatting and some of Isaac's boys had started playing a card game over in one of the corners. The air in the bar had remained smokey and drenched in the smell of cheap alcohol and cigarettes. The live band continued playing, though quieter now that the ruckus had stopped. Isaac went to the bar and ordered drinks for himself and his new lady friend, finding a place to sit and continue their conversation. They drank and tried to keep the conversation going, though steadily they were running out of things to ask eachother about that the other would actually answer. They were afew rounds of drinks in when Isaac asked a particularly odd question.

"How'd a pretty dame like you end up in The Garden, anyhow?" 

Dolly gave him a look. 

"People don't choose to come to a place like this, they end up here some way or another." He downed the last of his drink. "What got you stuck here?"

Dolly didn't answer, she looked nervously at the table, suddenly very interested in her fingernails. 

"Dolly..." 

"Oh, I know this song," She suddenly piped up, pointing over to the thinly populated dance floor with painfully fake enthusiasm. "Will you dance with me, Isaac?" She stood up, already grabbing the robot's hand. Isaac sighed quietly. He wasn't going to get an answer for now.

"Sure, doll. I'll dance with ya." He smiled, seeing her anxiety ease abit.

He'd never been much of one for dancing, but it helped ease the awkwardness of the situation and made Dolly feel better, so he was willing to make a fool of himself.The arrangement was somewhat awkward, being they were both already less coordinated from the alcohol and on top of that having a steep height difference. They managed to make do, though. All it took was Isaac swallowing his pride and letting her do the leading. They didn't dance for long, just afew different songs. They went back to the bar for acouple more drinks before the bartender had to tell them they were closing up soon. They headed out the door with the rest of the patrons, the door closing behind them and the lights in the window of the bar going dim. 

"It's been nice meeting you, Mr.Acerbi," Dolly smiled. "But, I need to be heading home. I'll see you around," She waved, starting to walk in the direction of her apartment.

Isaac stood there, face blank as he tried to think of what to say.

"Hey!...uh...You want me to walk you home?" Isaac offered, trying to sound confident. He'd failed. He wasn't usually like this. What's gotten into him?

Dolly stopped suddenly, caught off guard. She turned back towards him, tilting her head abit.

"hm?" 

"Do you want me to walk you home?" He repeated, though abit more smoothly this time. "I'd know better than anyone how rough this neighborhood can be," He joked, motioning to himself. Dolly stifled a giggle.  

"If it's for my safety, I suppose," She teased, motioning for him to come along as she continued walking. 

They didn't talk much during the walk home, avoiding some of the more sensitive topics they knew they still wouldn't be getting answers for for now. Isaac considered holding her hand or something, but worried about how silly it'd look because he was so short. he'd look like a little kid holding his mom's hand or some nonsense. If he was taller, he could casually put an arm around her shoulders or something, but he didn't have that option. He could only reach her hip, maybe her back if he really wanted to throw his shoulder servo out of wack. So, to avoid the risk of being creepy, he decided to just keep his hands in his pockets. It wasn't a far walk to her apartment building, so he didn't have to worry that he should have just gotten her a cab. Once they reached the front step, she stood there in front of it for a moment. She seemed to be thinking.

"Well, Here's my stop." Dolly shrugged. "It's been nice getting to know you, Isaac," She said, smiling and leaning down closer to his face. She kissed his cheek, leaving a lipstick mark on his screen and sending a shiver up his spine. "Be seeing you around," She waved goodbye, heading in the front door and leaving Isaac stunned there on the front stoop. 

"Y-You too!" He added, just as the door closed behind her. He could hear her giggling through the door for a moment before she walked away. 

Isaac shook his head. You too? and that voice he used? Jesus, how old is he? Isaac started his walk back to the hideout, kicking himself alittle inside as he went. 

"Heya boss." Benny greeted, once again at his post as the door man. Isaac nodded in greeting back. Benny stepped aside so Isaac could go inside. "Get left at the door, boss?"

"Oh, Shut the fuck up ya big palooka," Isaac grumbled, punching Benny in the side of the leg as he went inside to go charge up for the next day. Benny chuckled abit, shutting the door behind him and settling in for his shift. The sky was starting to lighten slightly with the very first rays of morning, and he had a long day ahead of him.


End file.
